1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an automated vehicle shielding system for the protection of vehicles from certain external conditions.
2. Description of the Related Art
The use of shielding and shading systems and devices is well known in the prior art. For instance, numerous patents and patent applications disclose various shading devices and systems used to provide shading and protection for vehicles' windshields.
As an example, the U.S. Pat. No. 8,419,107 provides a retractable vehicle shade including a hollow central box, a front sliding panel, and a rear sliding panel. The hollow central box is mounted on a rooftop of the vehicle. The front sliding panel is slidingly fitted into the box through a slot at the front end and configured to cover at least front glass pane. The rear sliding panel is slidingly fitted into the box through the slot at the rear end and configured to cover at least rear glass pane. The vehicle shade can further include a detachably attached waterproof stretchable fabric member for providing a layer over respective panels and central box. The fabric member has one or more elastic members which causes it to fold up along the end portions of the sliding panels on the top of box, when the panels are retracted backwards into the box.
The U.S. Pat. No. 7,562,928 discloses an automated vehicle sunshade that includes a compartment mountable to a roof of a vehicle, a flexible shade, a plurality of rods coupled to the flexible shade and a drive device coupled to the plurality of rods. The plurality of rods is retractable and extendable so that the sunshade repeatedly alternates between an extended position and a retracted position. In the retracted position, the flexible shade, plurality of rods and drive device are enclosed within the compartment. The sunshade also includes guide wires and support wires for properly guiding and supporting the flexible shade during retracting and extending.
In another US patent having the U.S. Pat. No. 6,407,365, there is provided an automated sunshade and defrosting assembly for protecting automotive interior surfaces and decreasing windshield defrosting time, wherein such assembly includes a pair of tracks designed for coupling on opposite sides of a vehicle's windshield. A sunshade member extends between the pair of tracks. The sunshade is extendable into an extended position defined by the sunshade covering the windshield. The sunshade is retractable into a retracted position defined by the sunshade uncovering the windshield. A heating element extends through the sunshade for selectively heating the windshield for preventing frost buildup on the windshield. A control unit is provided for selectively extending and retracting the sunshade between the extended and retracted positions.
None of the prior art documents provide an automated vehicle shielding system that could be built-in or added-on while protecting the vehicle from certain external conditions without affecting aesthetics of the vehicle, but maintaining or improving the vehicle's aerodynamics, and that is easy to operate.
Furthermore, none of the prior art documents provide an automated vehicle shielding system that can be installed on all vehicle sizes.